Feeling a bit bored? Like your life is good, but not great? Small changes can make a big difference, especially in the long run. I’ve recently done a complete overhaul of my life and I’m really enjoying the difference it’s making to my lifestyle, mood and productivity. Here are my top 5 changes for a better lifestyle.

1) Clear Out the Junk

Have you ever watched any of the hoarders shows? Are you guilty of holding onto some things that you might use one day? My theory is if you haven’t used it in 8 months, you’re probably not going to so get rid of it! Having a lot of clutter throughout your house can be distressing without even noticing it. I recently reorganised and cleared out my closet, donating anything I didn’t really need and throwing away things that were so old they were unusable. I also organised my closet so now everything is in a logical place and I feel so much better!

2) Practice Gratitude

Gratitude is trendy, but in case you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a practice of acknowledging all the blessings in your life. You can choose to focus your gratitude on anything – from how well your work is going, or for the generous people in your life that help you out in various ways. Often we focus on the bad stuff, we’re much more likely as a race to complain about the bad stuff than to appreciate the good. Practicing a daily gratitude is a great way to turn it around.

3) Exercise More

We all know that exercise produces endorphins which are chemicals that make you feel – and even look – good. It also helps you manage and deal with stress better, which is something almost everyone in our modern world could benefit from. The important thing is to find a type of exercise you love and can stick to. There’s no benefit to forcing yourself to do something you loathe!

4) Take Care of Your Gut

Our gut affects more than we can imagine, from our mood to our weight. Having a healthy gut ensures that the rest of you is more healthy too. There are some small changes you can make to ensure a healthy gut from taking a daily probiotic supplement to increasing the amount of fibre you’re having. If you’re not having regular, firm bowel movements then it’s a good sign that your gut health is off and that you should invest a little time into getting things back on track.

5) Cull Negative People

We’ve all heard that saying that we’re a combination of the top 5 people we hang out with. With that in mind, what kind of person are you becoming? If you have a good friend who is negative, consider cutting ties to them a little bit to see if that affects your mentality and lifestyle. Often we’re so used to people being in our lives we forget to ask ourselves whether they’re good for us or not! Removing people that bring you down will have an amazing influence on your health and lifestyle.

These are my top 5 changes for a better lifestyle. By themselves they seem like pretty small changes, but done all together they can be a powerful way to change your lifestyle dramatically.